XCOM: Volunteer Raptor Trainer
by Dr1ft3r0I
Summary: All the Volunteer wanted after getting sucked into a psionic portal twice was an easy job. Raising genetically engineered Utahraptors for Jurassic World wasn't quite what he had in mind.
1. Chapter 1

"It says here Mr. Hopkins that you were formerly in the United States Armed Forces?"

Former XCOM Lieutenant Gabriel Hopkins, two time Psionic Volunteer, nodded simply in reply. "Yes ma'am, I was in active duty for six years in the Army before being eased out of service," he said. Of course, five of those active years were spent fighting aliens for control of the fate of humanity, but the lady in charge of hiring people at Jurassic World didn't need to know that.

"And what exactly did you do for the Army?"

Hopkins paused to think about his answer. "I… was a Squad Designated Marksman, with training in communications, demolitions, and emergency triage." The recruiter looked up at him in surprise.

"That's… quite a range of skills," she admitted. "Skills that might be outside the scope of our Asset Containment Unit. Still, other than that, you have a spotless background check. Is there any position you'd like to have as a preference?" Hopkins smiled and chuckled.

"Well, I'd love to help raise the dinos," he said. "The more vicious, the better. If not, then I'll find some way to be of use to ACU." The clerk looked at her tablet and sighed.

"Well, we have no current openings for ACU at the moment," she said hesitantly, her fear and anxiety souring the back of Hopkins' throat.

"And the other spot?" he prodded. "You're hesitating." The lady gulped.

"…you can help out in raising our… velociraptors," she admitted. Hopkins looked at her blankly before grinning.

"Shit, I'll take it!" he exclaimed. "Who will I be assisting?"

"…no body, I believe you'll be getting your own clutch."

…

"…oh."

"Yeah…"

A pregnant pause filled the room.

"…so, where do I sign?"

[][][]

 ** _In March of 2015, alien forces attacked the planet Earth. In response, the United Nations activated a clandestine paramilitary group called XCOM. In the next three years, XCOM strove to find out why the aliens invaded, all while fighting impossible odds against enemies from both outside and within._**

 ** _In late March of 2018, XCOM sends the Volunteer, a soldier gifted with extraordinary psionic power to assault the alien command ship. The Volunteer was successful, but soon had to move the vessel to high Earth orbit to avoid catastrophe._**

 ** _When he awoke, he found himself in a world in which XCOM had failed to repel the invasion, and the aliens had effectively taken over the planet. Two years of irregular combat sent him and a psionically controlled Avatar of the XCOM Commander into the alien's headquarters, where they killed off the leadership. The Volunteer once again sacrificed himself to save others, and soon found himself in yet another world. A world without aliens._**

 ** _A world where dinosaurs once again walked the Earth._**

 ** _…_**

 ** _And where people were charged seven dollars a soda._**

[][][]

XCOM: Volunteer Raptor Trainer

[][][]

Gabe yawned as he stretched his limbs out, the warm Costa Rican sun slicing through the window shades of his new home. He had moved into his new bungalow almost the day he was hired, seeing as most of his old gear had been confiscated by Homeland Security when he had popped up without warning in the bowels of Mighty Mo. But they had, thankfully, let him keep his MAG Rifle and revolver, if only because they were quickly alerted to where he had just been hired. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Gabe stood up and stumbled into the bathroom, the thin bed sheet sliding off his scarred form.

Flipping the switch on, Gabe looked at the mirror and sighed. The seemingly hung over brunette staring back at him from the mirror looked like shit, what with the far too precise surgical scars crisscrossing his lithely muscled form. A series of tribal looking dragon tattoos wrapped themselves around his right arm, and his chest was pockmarked with bullet and plasma scars. He looked over to the bottle of pills and sighed.

One glass of water later, and he popped a pill, quickly downing the glass to get rid of the taste. Shaking his head, Gabe turned on the radio to a random frequency and relaxed a bit at the soft hiss of static. Turning on the shower, he quickly scrubbed off the light sheen of night sweat he had gotten before shutting the water off and exiting the shower. Glancing at his phone, Gabe's eyebrow perked up at seeing a text on the screen already. Swiping a thumb across the screen, he groaned as he read the message from one of the HR drones, saying that he needed to come in and sign some more paperwork before finally going in to meet his assigned dinosaurs.

"Fine you bloodsucking bastards," he muttered as he quickly got dressed in a light long sleeved shirt, jeans, his old, worn combat boots, and for a tad of whimsy… a flak vest. Satisfied with his new reflection, Gabe grabbed his phone, keys, and temporary access card before exiting his home.

A half hour later, and the psychic was bored almost to death as he filled in form after form as the clerk droned on. He signed the final paper and yawned. "Okay, all that shit's done," he commented, getting up. "So, when do I get to meet my new demon lizard cats?"

"Well, I gotta admit, that's a new one for me." Gabe turned around and saw what he assumed to be a dinosaur trainer standing in the doorway. He was tall… well, taller than Gabe at least by a few inches at the least, with dark orange, almost brown hair messily plopped on his head. "Owen Grady, I work with the raptors," he added, extending his hand.

Gabe took it, feeling the man's genuine enthusiasm both in the hand shake, and from the man's emotions. "Gabriel Hopkins, new hire and possible raptor chew toy," he fired back, making Owen laugh.

"Well, we try not to give the girls much to chew on we don't want them too," the senior trainer said as he looked at the clerk. "I've got him from here on Monica." The clerk nodded as Owen beckoned for him to follow. "So, what's your skill set then… ?"

"Gabe or Hopkins is good," Gabe said at the cue. "As for my skill set, I was a sniper-scout for about six years before I drummed out. So, you know, tracking, target acquisition, sneaking… a bit of swordplay," he added with a shrug.

"Swordplay?"

"I was stuck with a bunch of wierdos. We were sometimes handed over to the CIA."

"…and you survived?" Owen asked in disbelief as they approached the hatcheries. Gabe nodded, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Well damn then, you might make it past the first few weeks with raising your raptors." Gabe merely shrugged again as they entered the labs, a quick burst of antiseptic spray interrupting their journey. Owen noted how Gabe stiffened at the sudden hiss of gas.

"Not a fan of clean rooms?" he asked. Gabe glowered as he looked at the far too sterile white walls.

"Not particularly," he answered, his tone driving the point home. Owen nodded sagely before he spotted his target. "Doctor Wu!"

Dr. Wu, the head geneticist of Jurassic World, paused in his work to look up at Owen and his guest. "Ah, Mr. Grady, thank you for coming by," he said, standing up. Immediately, Gabe felt his neck hairs bristle at the seeming sterility of Wu's aura. "And would I be correct in assuming you are our new raptor wrangler?" he asked Gabe, smiling slightly. Gabe nodded stiffly as he eyed the amber lined walls.

"Yes sir," the young man answered. "Excuse me if I, uh, don't shake your hand. Clean room and all." Wu nodded in appreciation.

"Don't worry, it's actually refreshing to meet someone who respects our line of work," the scientist stated before looking back at Owen. "So, how are the girls?"

"Pretty good," Owen replied. "Only got a small bite from Blue this morning instead of from at least two of them. Good day so far. So, what have you cooked up for our new guy here?" Wu smirked confidently as he led the two to a closed off room.

"We have one of them using the same genetic structure as Beta, with some variation of course," he stated. Gabe immediately picked up on the implication.

"So, if our packs were ever to, let's assume integrate with some peace, Owen's beta wouldn't freak out at seeing basically herself and go all psycho?" Owen looked and grinned at him.

"Damn, you and I might get along just fine," he said, moving to clap Gabe on the back. "Okay if I, uh… ?" Gabe nodded. Owen's hand landed on the smaller man's back approvingly. "Just need to introduce you to Barry and the girls, just to give you an idea of what we're working with."

Wu nodded in agreement. "That's correct," he said, continuing on as he inputted the codes to the room. "The others are all mixes of marine iguana, monitor lizard, and I believe one of them was based on a leopard gecko." Both raptor trainers blinked owlishly in surprise.

"That's a bit unusual," Gabe commented as the door opened. "I mean, most people don't exactly think apex predator when talking about an animal you can get in the pet store for about eighty bucks." Wu glanced up and hummed to himself, likely thinking of what other animals to splice into the next clutch of dinosaurs. "But, these are… ?" Wu nodded.

Gabe stepped forward, looking at the quartet of eggs in hesitant awe. They were each about half a size larger than his hand, and were attended to be an automated arm. Stepping closer, he let his mental walls fall a tad bit to try and feel the animals growing within, and sucked in a breath. "I'm okay!" he said quickly, stopping Wu and Owen. "Just… never been this close to a dinosaur before."

Gabe quickly lost any sense of caring about the other two humans in the room as he let the four raptors in their shells react to his psionics. They were curious, to be sure, if only in a basic way. One of them though quickly shifted to something resembling happy, and the others soon followed. Sending a reassuring pulse to them, Gabe slowly closed the link between them and stood up. "I think we'll get along just fine," he said, grinning.

"Egg-scelent!" Owen declared, grinning back, only to be met with a confused look from Wu, and an unimpressed glare from the new guy.

"…that," Gabe said flatly, "Was horrible. Dr. Wu is now twenty points dumber for having heard that. You should be ashamed of the amount of intelligence you're showing your raptors." Owen paused to think the insult over, and then chuckled.

"You know what Gabe, you and Barry might get along just fine," the senior raptor trainer said with a grin. "So, want to meet my girls?" Gabe thought it over.

"Alright."

[][][]

Later that evening, Gabe sat on the porch of his new residence, exhausted. He had always had something of a rough time dealing with crowds as an empath. The four energetic raptors that Owen had shown had, somehow, damn near drained him of his remaining civility. Mostly because the pack of raptors were far more ornery than even the crankiest Muton, Blue in particular.

Sighing, the former XCOM operative went to his fridge and pulled out a margarita can. Popping it open, he took a quick sip, thankful for the slow dulling of his psionics that the alcohol induced. Gabe pulled out a small book, clicked open a pen, flipped the book open to a blank page, and started writing.

 _June 5, 2009_

 _I suppose that after all the shit I've been through, I should be used to all the time travel crap. But, still, it's weird knowing that out there is a younger me_ , _completely clueless that there's an older him (me?) out there with a job. But, identity crisis aside, I've had a rather hectic day._

 _Today was my first 'official' day working for Jurassic World. Yes,_ that _one. Anyhow, I got registered in their systems today, and I met what most people would call the 'senior velociraptor behaviorist.'_

 _Everyone else either calls Owen Grady 'Raptor Dad,' 'Raptor Mom,' or 'Raptor Lord.' That he happens to look like Chris Pratt, Peter Jason Quill, and a few other folks is most likely coincidental. So, he showed me his girls, and Blue almost bit my balls off through the bars. I wasn't happy, and I let her know it._

 _Psionics. Eat that bitches!_

 _But the best part of today was meeting my clutch of raptor eggs. They're… fuck, I can't really put it in words, because there aren't any words that can accurately describe what really goes through a psi's head as they read another person's mind. I did it on four baby dinosaur recombinants, and I'm still exhausted from it. Dr. Wu says it'll be another couple of weeks before they hatch, so that gives me some time to look at how Owen does things, and extrapolate from there._

 _Welp, I'm tired, and I need sleep._

Gabe shut his journal, yawning. The day really had drained him, and with that out of the way, he stripped down to something more tolerable to the Central American heat and fell onto his bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

Video Log, June 11, 2009

11:35:25

 _The camera turns on, showing Hopkins adjusting the camera housing. He is inside the little used office to the velociraptor enclosure, the shrieking raptors and Owen's yells clear in the background. "So, what, I just, uh, talk to it?" Hopkins asks, looking over to someone out of frame._

 _"_ _Yes," Barry replies, his thick French accent clearly audible. "Just talk to it, and you'll get in the habit of recording your findings. Unlike_ some _people."_

 _Hopkins grunts and shrugs as he looks into the camera. "Ooookay then…, well, uh, this is Hopkins entry number one for the 'development and training of secondary velociraptor pack for Jurassic World.' Sweet fuck, that's a mouthful. And… hey Barry, aren't the girls primarily_ Utahraptor _or something like that?"_

 _"_ _Yes, why?"_

 _"_ _Then why the fuck do we call them velociraptors then? I mean, they sure as fuck ain't turkey sized." Hopkins shakes his head at Barry's off-screen nonverbal answer. "Well, moving on. Okay, so, um, while my clutch of eggs is currently incubating in the labs, I've begun watching how Owen… I mean," Hopkins corrects himself sarcastically, "'Behavioral Specialist Grady,' has been raising his girls. I'll be honest, I don't think he's getting paid_ nearly _enough for the shit he's going through with them. Hell, had it been anyone else, they would have all been put down and the whole project scrapped years ago."_

 _Hopkins sighs as he leans back in a chair. "It's obvious that the girls know they're intelligent, which I think is part of the problem when Owen's not around… and when he is around. They're like little hell lizard cats with severe ADD, always in need of stimulation… that, or somewhere in their genes, a researcher fucked up. Now, my thoughts on the girls… ." Hopkins lets loose a deep sigh._

 _"_ _Blue is the pack beta, which means she's a piece of paranoid work. Nothing happens around that paddock without her investigating and making everyone know where she stands on it. Thankfully, most of the pack likes her as beta. Echo on the other hand…._

 _"_ _I'll be blunt, Echo is a bitch. No, wait," he stops to think, "That would be an insult to bitches, because I think even they know when to stop. Echo is just… fuck, I don't think I know_ how _to describe her really, she just hates everyone. Owen slightly less. She tried to scare the shit out of me my first day around her. She failed, and then I told her to piss off. She took offense to that, and afterwards, some of the crew offered to buy drinks at Margaritaville. Weird right?_

 _Hopkins now smiles as he goes on. "Now, out of the four of them, I honestly have to say that Charlie is the least hostile of them…, which isn't saying much for a quartet of hyper aggressive demon birds. She adores Blue and Owen, and she's not afraid to show her affection to them either. Delta's pretty laid back. Owen may be the Alpha, but I think I know someone who might be wrapped around her little toe talon," he adds, grinning as he looks at Barry off-screen._

 _"_ _For that, you earn yourself pig duty!" Barry retorts. Hopkins looks at the camera hopelessly._

 _"_ _Welp, shit. Time to feed the girls the pig," he says, pausing as he starts to stand up._

 _"…_

 _"_ _That poor little fucker."_

June 17, 2009

19:22:56

 _The camera turns on, showing Hopkins, obviously tired and sweat stained. The most alarming thing is the blood on his vest. It is close to dusk, judging from the light coming in the window._

 _"_ _Training today was… eventful," Hopkins states, the statement clearly an understatement. "Morris got too close to the bars as Owen was training the girls to follow him, and Echo decided to be a snide little shit stain._

 _A minute passes as Hopkins composes himself. "Morris is okay, as far as I know," he continues, "Only three lacerations extending down his left arm. He got on the first MEDEVAC to San Jose. I think that Morris should be able to recover_ some _functionality in his arm, given time. Good thing he's a righty."_

 _A few minutes pass as Hopkins ruminates. "What the hell was I thinking, getting into this gig? Owen's the best at what he does, and his girls barely listen to him on a_ good _day. I throw my… condition into the mix, and God alone knows what'll happen," he says in a rush, agitated. "I have just over a week, at best, to learn the basics from Owen and so far, it looks like an unholy mixture of herding cats and clearing chrysallid hives." Hopkins shudders._

 _"_ _I need a fucking drink."_

June 18, 2009

09:33:25

 _Hopkins is in view, holding his head and groaning in pain. "FUCK. TEQUILA. Two bottles of that shit ain't worth it! Owen you dumb fucker, tequila is not a vital part of the food pyramid you -!"_

June 21, 2009

21:14:55

 _"_ _Egg watch!"_

June 23, 2009

22:53:42

 _Hopkins is clearly inside a lab, the sterile white walls glaring under the white lights. Physically, he seems exhausted as he handles a bundled pair of towels and shirts under his left arm. "Hopkins, entry twelve. Beta-Two hatched on schedule, weight three point nine pounds, clear vocalizations," he reports. "Echo-Two followed soon after, weight three point five pounds, also clear vocalizations. Subjects Charlie and Delta-Two, after twenty-four plus hours… did…."_

 _The bundles squeak in agitation. Hopkins pauses to reassure them with soft words, an almost invisible, violet glow flowing down from his right hand to them. "Sorry," he says after quieting the hatchlings, "They're uh, really sensitive to my emotional state right now. The other two didn't make it. I haven't had any coffee in over forty-eight hours, and these two need attention, like, constantly. Christ, when Mom said my kids would raise hell, I don't think she meant it quite like this."_

June 25, 2009

08:12:11

 _Hopkins is resting in a chair, a single wrapped bundle in his arms, squeaking much like a baby bird. "Echo-Two died in her sleep last night," he announced. "Beta-Two here is the last of her clutch," he added, looking down at her in worry. "I can't introduce her into Owen's pack, I know Echo would rip her apart in a heartbeat before Blue could intervene." Hopkins sighed. "Hoskins and Dearing are convinced that this is going to fail. They… I just finished our little conference call a little while ago. Well, if they think that this little one doesn't deserve to live, well, fuck them." Hopkins looks down at his sole remaining charge, a faint smile on his lips. "And as for you, well, I can't be calling you Beta-Two forever now can I?" The raptor chirps. He chuckles as he strokes her head, still hidden by the bundle he has her in._

 _"_ _I think I'll call you Ada. A friend of mine has a character with that name, she was a total badass," he says, hand brushing the towel away, showing a small raptor hatchling with soft, downy feathers framing her head._

 _"_ _Just like you'll be."_

[][][]

Owen watched through the cameras as Hopkins interacted with his newly hatched raptor. "See anything different?" Barry asked, stepping into their small, shared office to wash his hands. He had just gotten done filling the girls' water, and Barry wasn't going to risk giving them some kind of flu. Owen shook his head slowly, eyes not leaving the screen.

"Not yet, but it might be too early to tell," the former SEAL admitted. "All my girls hatched within twenty-four hours and survived, I don't know what could have killed two in the egg and one within twenty four hours of hatching." Behind him, Barry sighed.

"And we won't know until autopsy." Owen mumbled incomprehensibly as he saw an almost exact match of Blue when she was a hatchling as a hatchling poked her head out of the 'nest' Hopkins had made with his various sheets, towels, and clothes. Hopkins leaned into frame, a chunk of ground beef in his hands. Owen nodded in agreement as his younger counterpart fed the infant slowly, taking care not to get nipped by the needle sharp teeth.

The still fading bite mark from Blue's first two days of eating itched.

Ignoring the bite mark for now, Owen furrowed his brow. Pushing the pause button, he rewound a few seconds and watched, frame by frame, eyes trained by some of the best in the world at Coronado and experience seeing, analyzing, and deconstructing the images on screen.

Hopkins had said he had been in the Army. Owen was now pretty sure that that was a complete and utter pile of bullshit.

[][][]

Ada was now a month old, and she was clearly bored. And as Hopkins had painfully learned in that month, a bored, genetically engineered Utahraptor was a _very_ dangerous raptor. The boredom was also a sentiment that he shared as he spoke with Dr. Wu over the phone. "All I'm saying is that keeping Beta-Two cooped up in here won't be beneficial to her growth," Hopkins said, looking over his shoulder to see Ada crawling out of her nest, chirping in annoyance at the small, stuffed Dilophosaurus sitting a few feet away from her.

She noticed her parent looking at her, and cooed plaintively, her eyes widening. Hopkins rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not getting it for you," he told her. "You want it, you drag your happy little tail over to it," he added, pointing at the stuffed toy. "I know procedure in cases like this is to keep the survivors isolated, slowly integrating them into the existing pack structure when they're mature enough, but I cannot in good conscious send Beta-Two into Owen's pack. Echo is a hell raiser, and God knows what she'll do to an infant that doesn't smell like pack.

Hopkins sensed Wu's hesitation as the latter spoke. " _I see. However, I am sad to say that the replacement clutch will not be ready for at least seven months,_ " Wu explained slowly, earning a tense sigh from Hopkins.

"Dr. Wu, at that, Beta-Two may already be set in her territorial behaviors, I want to nip any problems in the bud before they spiral out of control."

" _There… may be an alternative._ "

Hopkins looked over at Ada again. The little raptor had leaned over the edge of her nest, her back legs quivering, and then… she fell over forwards with a startled cheep before landing softly on her back, limbs dangling up in the air. Ada looked over at him and squeaked, head tilted cutely. "Okay, I'm listening."

" _We are currently planning on a new exhibit, opening hopefully by late two thousand and fourteen,_ " Wu stated. " _The base genus will be_ Tyrannosaurus, _but everything else is, at this moment, classified above your security clearance._ " That immediately raised alarms inside Hopkins' head as he narrowed his eyes.

"Wait, waitwaitwaitwait, let me get this straight here," he said, beginning to pace. "You're making an entirely new animal, one based on one of the biggest land predators that Jurassic World has ever managed to successfully clone, and you're telling me that you're adding _more_ to it than it already has?! I understand needing to fill in the gaps in the genome due to degradation, but just creating a genetic recombinant without any consideration of what the resulting genetic structure will dictate is just asking for a hellstorm!"

" _Mr. Hopkins, at this moment, you do not need to know what exactly is in this asset,"_ Wu said simply before Hopkins, after a month of pent up frustration, snapped.

"BULLSHIT!" he roared, furious. "Doctor Wu, when Jurassic World, and by proxy, you, hired me, I was given access to Asset Containment protocols and procedures, and I was given Level Three clearance! Now, my first and foremost duty Doctor, is to ensure the security and safety of every civilian on this island at _any_ given time, and their safety relies on my knowledge of what we have on this island! If you won't tell me what this asset of yours has in its genome, then perhaps you should brush up on your bioethics!"

Stunned silence filled the air. For Hopkins, it was a moment for him to realize that he had, without a doubt, damned himself to a fate worse than death. For Ada, it was a simple matter that she had never, in her young life, seen or felt her parent-Alpha so furious, and Wu was simply quiet on the other end of the phone.

"…I'll… I'll prepare Beta-Two for processing," Hopkins said quietly, his thumb inching close to the red button on his phone before Wu cut it.

" _Mr. Hopkins, I cannot tell you over the phone what this asset has,_ " Wu said in an even tone. " _There are security measures that are in place to deter biomedical espionage. I can, however, elect to have the files in question delivered to you. And I will make sure that the paperwork for your… 'Ada,' goes through. Once the paperwork is complete, you are free to take her home._ "

Hopkins blinked. And then he slapped himself in the face to make sure he wasn't asleep. "I'm sorry, but, uh, can you repeat that?"

" _Your raptor will be ready to take home in four hours Mr. Hopkins,_ " Wu said simply. " _And perhaps we can sit down and discuss business over a meal if and when you aren't quite so… busy._ " Hopkins looked over at Ada and gulped.

"Umm, sure, uh, I'll see when my next opening is," he commented. "If, uh, that's all…?"

" _You will not be facing disciplinary charges at this time Lieutenant,"_ Wu said. " _I hope you have a good day._ "

Hopkins lowered his phone as he looked at Ada. "Well then, how about we get you ready to get the hell out of here, eh?" he asked her. Ada chirped as she lunged at her toy, and started chewing on it. "…I'll take that as a yes."


	3. Chapter 3

_August 11, 2009_

Hopkins sipped his glass of Coke slowly, watching the multitudes of people pass by his table on Jurassic World's Main Street. Today was likely the first time he'd been away from both the labs and his own house since Ada hatched, and his fridge was empty. Or somewhere approaching empty. Sometimes it sucked not eating on a consistent basis. But, the reason he was out and about was currently sitting right next to him on the ground.

"Squeak?"

"No, you're not coming out," Hopkins told Ada as she poked her muzzle out the side of his bag, sniffing the air in fervent curiosity. "When you can not freak out at the sight of other people, then I'll let you stick your head out, and not before." Ada chirped, shuffling her body inside the bag before she looked out the hole, an amber eye now staring up at him. Sensing her nervousness, Hopkins sighed as he relented, leaning over to stroke the infant's snout gently, his psionic aura brushing comfortingly against her.

"Hopkins!"

"Aw Christ," Hopkins groaned in irritation as Hoskins walked over to him, a patronizing smile on his face. "Hoskins," the XCOM agent grumbled as he pulled away from Ada, "What can I do for you today sir?"

Hoskins sat down across from Hopkins without concern for asking permission, that stupid grin still on his face. "Was wondering where your reports were going," the security chief said, looking around as he set small briefcase down on the ground next to him. "Went to your place, and well, I didn't see you there."

Hopkins calmed himself, more for Ada's sake than his as he took another sip of his drink. "Course I wasn't home, I'm in the middle of training," he answered casually, much to Hoskins' sudden confusion. "Today it's exposure training."

"Exposure training?" Hoskins was confused. "Exposure to what?" Hopkins could only chuckle as a faint squeak from Ada reached Hoskins' ears. "...Hopkins, are you out of your _fucking mind?!_ " Hoskins hissed, eyes bulging out as his face went red.

Hopkins shrugged casually as his server came to the table, a new glass of Coke flanking a greasy burger. "We work on an island that specializes in creating genetic recombinants of extinct megafauna, and you're concerned about how I raise _one_ hatchling?" he countered after muttering a quick prayer over his food. "Hoskins, look, I understand your concerns, but frankly, if the powers that be want _anything_ done involving raptors, there are things we, and by we I mean myself, need to try." Hoskins meanwhile looked like he was about to implode as Hopkins tore a small chunk of burger patty off and reached over to the bag.

"Hopkins, you're going to lose your fingers doing that," Hoskins warned snidely as he watched an inquisitive muzzle poke out the bag, nostrils flaring as the wafting aroma of cooked meat reached it. Hopkins rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I'll take my chances," he deadpanned as Ada whined. "Ada, calm." Ada went silent and still, and her Alpha smiled in pride as he gave her a short, terse whistle. Fingers released the treat as Ada's head lunged forward, snapping the snack out of the air before pulling her head back inside the bag. "So, reports aside, anything else on your mind?" he asked, taking a bite from his meal.

Hoskins' eye twitched as he took a deep breath to calm himself. Hopkins, meanwhile, waited patiently for an answer as he continued eating. "Well, Doctor Wu has asked that I… read you in on our newest project," he said simply, picking up and opening up his briefcase. Pulling out a manila folder, Hoskins laid it on the table, a single orange stripe running across the face diagonally. "I doubt I need to remind you about what happens if you disclose this information to unauthorized individuals."

Hopkins paused, setting his burger down as he looked Hoskins in the eye. "Yeah yeah, I know," he replied. "Termination of employment, fines, minimum five years jail time and liquidation of assets, to start. Don't worry sir, I'm only a jackass, not a moron." Hoskins grimaced as he stood up slowly, briefcase in hand.

"Personally, _Lieutenant,_ " he said slowly, freezing Hopkins in place, "I think that Doctor Wu is making a mistake in selecting you for this program. But I guess we'll see when things go pear shaped, won't we?" From Hopkins' bag, Ada poked her head out, eyes narrowed as she hissed angrily at Hoskins. "And train him better before people freak out."

"Now Adelaide," Hopkins chided coolly, "Be nice." Slowly, the raptor slunk back into her mobile nest, glaring at Hoskins all the while. "But frankly sir, _she_ is not the one I'd be worried about. My reports will in your inbox by the end of the week," Hopkins added.

Hoskins glared at Hopkins in disdain before turning about and walking back into the crowd. Ada growled, the noise making the human look down in bemusement. "Yeah, he's an asshole," Hopkins agreed, pulling off another piece of burger, his aura flaring softly to try and calm her down. "Now be nice, we'll be home soon enough." Ada leaned out, gently taking the morsel into her mouth, avoiding the tips of her parent's fingers. Smiling, Hopkins looked at the folder still sitting on top of the table, and continued eating.

 _Video Log_

 _August 20, 2009_

 _10:34:33_

 _For once, Hopkins is grinning on camera as he gently adjusts it, showing the now messy interior of his home. "Well, I've got good news!" he declares, sitting back down on his chair. "Ada has finally figured out how to walk around! Now, this is important because now, she can start exploring more of the, umm, 'nest' as it were, and it means she'll be running soon enough."_

 _A high pitched screech fills the air as Ada, now not quite as fluffy as she used to be, literally jumps into frame, knocking the keyboard off the table and startling Hopkins. "JESUS CHRIST!" he shouts in alarm before the camera disconnects. For the next five minutes, only the sounds of an annoyed Hopkins and a happy utahraptor fill the microphone before the program shuts off._

 _Video Log_

 _August 21, 2009_

 _06:12:55_

 _Hopkins is clearly disheveled in appearance, Ada in his arms. She yawns, tiredly wiggling to squeeze herself deeper into the crook of his arm. Hopkins merely looks at the mug of what is likely coffee next to him offscreen._

" _Note to self," he mutters, "Order more Kevlar coverings. And Kevlar bedding. And curtains…. Christ, I need to fucking rebuild my entire house with fucking Kevlar and Erikanite Alloy just to make sure Ada doesn't rip it to shreds. How the fuck did Owen survive_ four _of these little shits_?!"

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It was still dark outside as a small figure crept into the room, rapid breathing softly filling the air.

Ada's eyes pierced through the gloom as she tentatively made her way into Alpha-Father's nest area, the tiny sickle claws on her feet twitching. The two month old had been sleeping just fine when she had awoken, feeling something wrong in the air. So, the infant raptor had crawled out of her nest and slowly stalked her way towards her parent. After all, if she felt something wrong, then obviously, Alpha-Father already knew, right?

Entering Hopkins' room, Ada saw the tall nest that she knew Alpha-Father slept on, and his heard his rapid breathing. But most distressing of all was the feeling of muted panic and pain coming from the nest. Making her way closer, Ada eyed the side of the nest, lowering her cat sized bulk low to the ground before leaping up. Well, she tried to.

She had mostly made it when the curved talon on her right foot failed to catch on the fabric of her parent's nest, and with a chirp of surprise, Ada tumbled back to the floor with an indignant cheep. On the bed, Hopkins twisted, muttering in his sleep. Glaring at the edge of the bed, Ada righted herself, growled softly, and then jumped. She chirped in triumph upon landing, only for her father to burst into motion.

One moment, he was asleep. The next, Ada was staring into the barrel of a Glock 20, the chrome lined barrel shining dully in what little light made it inside as Hopkins stared at Ada, eyes wide in terror as he panted. Ada froze in place, the only sounds in her ears the sounds of hers and Alpha-Father's hearts hammering away.

"...Ada?" Hopkins breathed, blinking in stunned horror as the hatchling before him trembled in fear. Ada chirred, shaking as her parent slowly lowered the weapon, shaking in shock as she edged slowly closer to him. Instinct screamed at her that this being, in this moment of weakness, was now no longer capable of being called 'Alpha.'

Something else urged her to continue towards her parent.

With a soft croon, Ada lowered her head and nudged Hopkins' hand onto her head, his fingers brushing through the downy feathers atop it. Coughing out a tired cry, Hopkins reached over and grabbed Ada with both hands, the dinosaur not minding as her head was pressed against his chest, the sounds of twin hearts slowly lulling her to sleep as they slowed down. Hopkins merely petted the hatchling's spine, augmented senses on high alert to non-existent dangers. Glancing at the clock, he sighed as the crimson numbers mocked him.

01:46 in the morning. Great.

Looking at his night stand, Hopkins sighed as he scooted over and picked up his work provided cell phone, a Nokia 3310. Pushing a button, Hopkins sighed as he held it up to his head, listening through the connection tone.

"' _Ello?_ "

"Hey Owen, you got time to talk?" Hopkins asked, sighing. "And yeah, I know what time it is."

The man on the other end of the call shuffled about, groaning at the interruption of his sleep. " _Umm, maybe, why?_ "

"...Owen, you ever, you know, get triggered?" Hopkins asked.

"... _what happened._ "

Hopkins looked down at the dinosaur in his arms. "Bad memory. Ada jumped up on the bed, and… I almost reacted."

" _Shit,_ " Owen said after a moment.

Hopkins huffed tiredly. "Yeah, tell me about it," he commented. "So, any ideas?"

" _...there's a pretty decent dive for workers here on island, should be open until four or so,_ " Owen said. " _I'll let Barry know I'll be late with the girls in the morning, and I'll meet you at Main Street._ "

"Thanks Owen," Hopkins said in appreciation. "See ya in fifteen." Ending the call, Hopkins set Ada down on the bed sheets before getting up, his joints popping softly as he stood. Ada opened an eye and watched as he removed the odd skin covering he wore and exposed his hide, the crisscrossing lines of old scars visible for just a moment before he put on another false skin over it.

Five minutes later, and Hopkins was heading to his car, now fully dressed and carrying a still snoozing Ada in her travel bag. "Okay, just be still little one," he muttered, starting the car and heading over to the employee's access area for the Main Street of Jurassic World. Tapping the wheel, Hopkins sighed as he drove off to meet Owen. After all, what exactly could he say? That he was suffering from PTSD because of the traumas of fighting two wars against extraterrestrial aggressors? That he had literally been torn apart and put back together against his will?

Right, like _that_ would go well.

Bringing the car around, Hopkins parked and grabbed Ada, slinging her over his shoulder as the raptor curled up deeper in her bag and slept. Stepping through a side entrance to the street, Hopkins looked around at the modest nightlife that traversed the area and spotted a secluded area where he could sit and wait for Owen. In matter of fact, it had only been a couple of minutes since he had sat down that he caught of Owen coming towards him, clad in board shorts and a shirt declaring the owner's love for Blue Suede.

"Nice shirt," Hopkins commented with a chuckle as Owen yawned.

"Come on man, it's a classic!" Owen replied as Hopkins got up. "'Though I wonder why you're bringing a bag with you to this."

Hopkins shrugged as he started following Owen to the bar. "Well, I couldn't exactly leave her alone for the night," he said. "I mean, I don't get my new babies for another couple of months, and I-"

"Wait, you brought your raptor _with_ you?!" Owen hissed, alarmed. Hopkins groaned in irritation.

"Yes," he said flatly. "Seriously, why does everyone think _I'm_ the crazy one doing this?" Owen looked at Hopkins in concern as he huffed. "I mean, come on, this is an island full of _dinosaurs_ , that in itself is crazy enough!"

"You know, when Blue and the girls were that age, they bit. A lot," Owen commented as they passed through an employee's only door. "How yours hasn't scarred the shit out of you, I have no idea."

"Why do you think I wear a flak jacket all the time?" Hopkins asked almost immediately.

"...huh."

The two men finally made it to the employee bar, aptly named 'Hole in the Wall,' and found their way over to a small table. Sitting down, the two men ordered their respective drinks before Owen fixed Hopkins with a steady glare. "So, what's on your mind?" he asked. "And is it related to that purple shit you got going on?" Hopkins blinked at Owen owlishly before sighing, rubbing his temples with a free hand.

"Video logs gave it away, didn't they?" he said, almost in a defeated tone. Owen nodded. A moment of silence passed as their server dropped of their orders: tequila for Owen, and rum for Hopkins. Hopkins pulled slid the first shot glass closer to himself and closed his eyes. "Owen, everything I'm about to tell you… is TSI, need to know, understood?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah, TSI, got it."

Hopkins gulped down his shot, gently tapping the glass on the wood table. "Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way then," he said in an even tone. "My name actually is Gabriel, Hopkins was my mother's maiden name. I was a member of a military force, just… not a public one. And trust me, you'll be finishing off that tequila before long."

Owen looked at his own shot of the intoxicating liquid before shrugging. "Alright. Hit me."

Hopkins took a deep breath.

"I'm psychic."

Owen almost spit the tequila out, only just managing to restrain himself and swallow. Hopkins nodded as the senior raptor trainer opened his mouth to speak. "Okay, look, I know what you're thinking," Hopkins continued. "'Bullshit. I mean, really? Psychic?'" Hopkins chuckled as he studied Owen's face, the rugged man looking more concerned by the word. "I can tell you the exact emotional state of every single person within two hundred feet, which guy here in this bar is regretting telling his wife that he loves her while fucking the chick sitting next to him on the bar, and that the little tiny raptor dozing in my bag is beginning to wonder what the smells of four other raptors are."

Owen was silent as he looked at Hopkins. And then slowly at the tequila bottle. And then back to Hopkins. "...anything else?"

Hopkins smiled ruefully.

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Barry was about to panic as the girls started to vocalize angrily as he looked at the path to their compound for Owen. " _Nom de Dieu_ Owen," Barry muttered as a car finally pulled in. "Where the hell are you?" His question was soon answered by the car parking, and then Owen stumbling out of the passenger side door. "Owen? What the hell?!"

Owen groaned as Hopkins got out, bag over his shoulder as he helped the obviously tired and slightly hungover raptor trainer up and over to Barry. "Sorry Barry, vet issues," Hopkins explained. "I dragged him out of bed, all my fault."

"And him being drunk?" Barry demanded. Hopkins and Owens stood there in the early morning light, clearly embarrassed.

"...also my fault." Barry groaned in irritation as Charlie shrieked, demanding attention from either Blue or Owen, he wasn't sure which. "Look, umm, Barry, can we, uh, get some water for Owen here?"

"Why, to cure his hangover?"

"No, because sleepy Owen might be dead Owen if we throw him up there in view of the girls," Hopkins explained as he dragged Owen to the tiny shack that was his office. Barry would have retorted, only, he recognized the logic in Hopkins' statement, and pulled out a water bottle from his truck bed.

"Hold him still," Barry ordered, advancing towards them. Hopkins waddled as far away as he could while still holding Owen in place as the latter looked up at Barry with bleary eyes.

"Wai, wha?" he mumbled, just as Barry dumped the freezing cold contents of the bottle down Owen's shirt. "JESUS CHRIST!" he shouted, suddenly awake as he jumped away from the two of them. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"You were asleep," Barry deadpanned as Blue screamed, demanding that she attack whatever attacked her Alpha. "Hopkins was worried about your safety with the girls." Owen looked over at Hopkins, who simply shrugged as a faint, muffled squeak came from his bag. "...Hopkins, what was that?"

This time, it was Hopkins who wilting under the Frenchman's gaze. "...couldn't leave her at home," he mumbled. "Besides, a little late now, ain't it?" Barry was torn between yelling at Owen, yelling at Hopkins, yelling at both of them, or just letting Hoskins or Dearing deal with the two moronic Americans.

"Fine, but Owen, your girls need you now, otherwise _I'll_ be the one complaining," Barry said finally. Owen nodded as he headed to the closest set of steps, gesturing for Hopkins to find a spot along the walkways to observe. Hopkins nodded as he slung his bag off his shoulders, a curious chirp coming from the swinging back.

"You stay put," he muttered to Ada, who whined as the psionic sent a discrete pulse of warning to her before setting the bag down next a set of lockers. "I mean it, stay." Standing up, Hopkins walked away from his hatchling before going up the steps to where Owen was standing. Standing a few meters away, he nodded to the senior trainer who then looked down at the foliage below them.

"Okay, let them out!" Owen called out.

With a series of furious screams, the four raptors that comprised Owen's pack charged out of the bushes, each of them looking at Owen angrily for not having been there when they woke up. Of course, that was before Echo smelled her archnemesis in the air and screeched, talons and maw open wide in a threat display towards Hopkins. "Echo, eyes on me!" Owen barked, thumbing the clicker as fast he could. "Cut that shit!"

The tan dinosaur hissed angrily, ducking away as Blue snapped at her sister to listen. Hopkins looked at Owen, and then thumbed at the stairs, the question unsaid. _Should I leave?_

Owen shook his head, face firmly set as he glanced down at his girls. _No. Girls too agitated._ Hopkins sighed as he crossed his arms.

 _Fine._

The former XCOM operative focused back down on the older raptors as Owen tried to get their attention, only to notice Echo staring at the only way into the enclosure. "What the hell are you looking at?" Hopkins muttered to himself, eyes narrowing as Owen snapped at Echo to refocus on him.

And then, clear as day, a tiny squeak broke through the air. Hopkins' heart plummeted as he spotted the tiny, downy feather covered, toddler stuck frozen still as Echo looked at Ada hungrily.

Nobody who was there witnessing could say for certain who moved first; the raptor, or the handler. What everyone agreed on was that Echo was only feet away from snatching Ada into her jaws when one hundred and eighty-five pounds of paternal rage slammed into the raptor from above, sending them sprawling on the ground in a tangle of limbs and harsh language. Hopkins kicked Echo off of him, the raptor flying up and landing on the ground a good solid several feet away as Blue and the rest of the pack advanced on the two fighters. Owen, Barry, and everyone else almost hit the panic button before Hopkins snarled, flashing his teeth as he purposefully stood between Echo and his scaly daughter.

" _ **BACK OFF,**_ " Hopkins warned, his eyes and veins visibly, albeit dimly, glowing with power as he stared Echo down. The slightly smaller raptor screeched at Hopkins trying to circle around him. Hopkins matched her paces, his eyes not once leaving Echo's. Delta took a step forward. Hopkins growled, a sound that Owen would later compare to a wolf mixed with a high performance diesel engine that was pushed past the red line.

Scowling, Echo reared back, and lunged at Hopkins with all her talons and claws outstretched. Hopkins, in a flash of movement seemingly too fast for any normal human, twisted out of the way, and _grabbed_ Echo by the throat before slamming her back on the ground, hard. The raptor was stunned, which gave him enough time to pull out the sizable knife he kept on the small of his back and press the point against Echo's jugular.

All stood still at the impossible sight before them. Hopkins glanced up at Owen, Echo frozen still at the uncomfortable feeling of something pressed against her jugular. Owen saw Blue look up at him uncertainly, a rarity for her since she had… well, grown up. Gulping, Owen looked down towards Hopkins and cleared his throat.

"Hopkins… please let go of my raptor," he asked, trying to keep a calm tone. The dimmed lines of power pulsed, and then slowly faded as Hopkins turned his head to glare back at Echo.

" **TOUCH Her, you** die," he commented, pulling his knife away from Echo's throat. He made sure to pinch lightly on her scales with his other hand before all but throwing her back towards Blue with a strained grunt. With a dissonant amount of calm, Hopkins walked over to where Ada still stood and picked her up gently. "And I told you to stay put," he reprimanded Ada, who shook in his arms.

A hiss came from behind Hopkins. He stopped, then turned to see Blue growling at him menacingly. He kept his gaze on her as he turned his back to the enclosure door, his temper flaring just slightly. "Owen, I need you to meet me by the door," Hopkins said loud enough for all to hear.

"Hopkins, what do you need?" Owen asked, scrambling as fast as he could to the door.

"I need you to punch me."

Owen paused just outside the gate, looking inside to see his girls all staring at Hopkins with only just restrained fury. "...you want me to do what?"

"Right now, I'm a threat to the pack," Hopkins explained calmly… well, calm for the situation at any rate. "You punch me, it restores you as Alpha, your girls won't tear into me and Ada, and we can all put this behind us. Now, get in here, and punch me in the fucking face!"

Owen motioned for Barry to cover the doorway as he made his way inside the enclosure, the staff all watching with bated breath as the four larger raptors twitched in place, watching Owen closely. He pulled his arm back… and lightly punched Hopkins in the shoulder. Hopkins looked at his shoulder, and then back up at Owen. "Okay, seriously?" he asked, eyes narrowing. "That was the worst punch ever, of all-."

* _ **PUNCH!**_ *

The four juvenile utahraptors all flinched back as Owen's fist broke Hopkins' nose, sending him stumbling back as a light trickle of blood began to flow. Ada hissed, furious at Owen for attacking her Alpha-Parent, only to watch as her parent shook his head, gripping his nose. "Ahh, ow," he grumbled, before pinching his nose. Something cracked, and Owen noted that his nose, formerly crooked, was now back in what was likely its original position. "Good punch."

Owen nodded slowly, eyeing his raptors carefully, gauging their reactions. Echo seemed smug for a little shit who had only just been basically judo flipped to the ground, and Delta and Charlie were both warbling their curious trills, looking between himself and Hopkins. Only Blue seemed relatively impassive, her eyes looking right at Hopkins' fledgling. "Blue, I see you," Owen warned, edging close to Hopkins.

In response, she hissed, and Hopkins held out a hand to Owen. "Hold on, let me see something," he said, looking over and locking gazes with Blue. Gently, Hopkins lowered Ada to the ground. The moment her feet hit the ground, Ada whined, whipping her head abck and forth between her Alpha and Blue. "Shh, shh, easy there," Hopkins murmured, nudging her gently forward with his foot. "I won't let her hurt you." Ada warbled, and then looked over at Blue, trembling.

The older raptor took a step forward, stopping to gauge Hopkins' reaction. The human merely looked at her sternly, her own Alpha ready to intervene at any moment. The sub-adult edged closer to Ada before stopping, a respectful tail length between her and the small raptor separating them. Lowering her head, Blue inhaled Ada's scent.

She smelt of… her, but, not her. Blue crooned, curious as she leaned in closer to better inspect the fledgling. Hopkins' left leg shifted an inch, and Blue froze, stone still. She had seen Not-Alpha take down Echo, and submit to Alpha, but that didn't mean he couldn't claim her position as second in the pack.

With a trembling step, Ada stepped forward, chirping as she looked at Blue, averting eye contact at all times. Owen and Hopkins watched as the distance between the two raptors shortened little by little until Ada was right next to Blue's maw. Owen glanced over, and saw a faint purple glow running along the veins in Hopkins' hands. "Relax," Owen muttered to his younger compatriot. Hopkins grunted in reply, his eyes not leaving the two dinosaurs in front of them.

Ada leaned forward, sniffing the larger raptor inquisitively. She smelled a bit of herself on the larger raptor, and that in itself made her relax just slightly…. With a timid chirp, Ada lowered herself before Blue, submissively. Blue looked up at Hopkins, and gently pushed Ada towards him with her snout. Charlie took a step forward, curious. Almost immediately, Blue whirled around, shrieking furiously at her sister. Charlie scrambled back with a startled yelp, and Hopkins had to chuckle at the sight.

"Well, guess I don't have to worry about Blue or Charlie," he commented, watching as Blue carefully introduced Ada to the rest of her pack, making sure to keep Echo as physically far away from her as possible.

"Yeah," Owen said back as he watched his girls. "So, where exactly are you in this?" Hopkins reached up and stroked the modest scruff of hair on his chin.

"Well, Ada smells like Blue, which would make her her sister. And since Blue is your hatchling, and she smells like Blue, then that means… whatever the fuck it means for raptors," Hopkins drawled as Ada suddenly broke out into a run, Blue hooting playfully after her with Charlie and Delta.

"Well, let's just… let them play for a bit, see how it goes?" Owen inquired as several dozen pounds of dinosaur zoomed by him. Hopkins nodded, lifting a knee up just in time for Ada to run under it.

"Yeah, sounds about right," he agreed, Blue and Delta swerving to avoid him while Charlie skidded to a halt, crooning to Owen. "Come to think of it… Owen, when _did_ you last play with your girls?" Owen's face immediately dropped as each of his girls all stopped in their tracks and stared at him.

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Night had fallen over the island as Hopkins finally came home, Ada in his arms. The small raptor had excitedly exhausted herself playing with her older relatives, and Hopkins was actually glad to see that Blue had taken to being her 'mother' figure. Charlie had just absolutely spoiled the little one, and Delta was fairly aloof.

Echo though was still a bitch. A bitch who respected Blue's and Hopkins' ability to thouroughly kick her ass, but still a bitch.

Unlocking the door, he stepped inside and froze, eyes narrowing. Something was wrong, and whatever it was, it was still there. Setting Ada down on his sofa, he gently pulled a blanket over her and watched as the snoozing creature buried her snout into the folds of the fabric. Satisfied she wasn't going anywhere, Hopkins silently stepped over to his mantle piece, his psionic senses extending outward.

Other than he and Ada, there wasn't anything that he could sense in the house. But, as Hopkins pulled out the XCOM manufactured M35-A Magnetic Pulse Rifle from its hiding spot, he grit his teeth as a thought came to mind.

Something had come into his home. And it was about to face a true apex predator.

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 **Okay, so this was a chapter that needed some time. Anyhow, polls were open, polls are closed, and you all voted that Hopkins will be raising the I-Rex alongside Ada! Hopefully, I didn't write Owen or Barry as too OOC, much less the raptors, but hey, what can you do, right?**

 **Anyhow, critiques and comments are welcome down below, and I am always open to input from YOU my lovely readers, via the PM button, located somewhere on your browser screen of choice!**

 **As a side note, it has now been twelve days since my last velociraptor… what, what's that clicking sound?**


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